“Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses” (1 Kings 8:56).
Heavenly Father, our hearts delight is to be in Your Presence. There is no place we would rather be! Your invitation to us, to come boldly to Your Throne of Grace is a reason for great joy! May we remain in Your Presence, until “by beholding” You, we become more like You! This is our prayer in the glorious name of Your Son Jesus Christ! Amen.
Today, the promise we are going to meditate upon is found in Psalm 4:8, “I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
For our example of the fulfilment of this promise let us take a look at Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples. The most vocal for sure. Always ready to give an answer, whether he is the one who is being asked a question or not! Yes, you could call him the “spokesperson” of the group of twelve.
He had even promised Jesus that if there was ever a time when His life was threatened he would stand with Him, even if it meant dying with Him (Matthew 26:31-35). I believe poor Peter meant what he said, because when the rabble came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, he grabbed his sword and tried to defend his Master, but was not very good with the sword; and instead of the head of his intended victim, he was only able to remove an ear (John 18:10)! Good for him. Jesus took care of that!
On that occasion when he realized that Jesus was not going to defend Himself, he, along with the other disciples, forsook Jesus and fled for their lives (Matthew 26:56b)! Later that evening, Peter would shamelessly deny His Master three times, just as Jesus had warned him (69-75). He was heartbroken, because he loved the Savior!
Years later, we see Peter again. This time, he is the one who has been arrested, and he is on “death row, asleep” (Act 12:1-6), This is not the same Peter. There is no fear manifested. No attempt to avoid his execution on the morrow. No anxiety. He is lying down, in peace, because the God-Man he has walked with for three and a half years, has left him His peace, in the face of death!
The chains on his hands and feet, the threatening nearness of the guards, the brightness of the angel of God in the prison cell, did not interrupt his rest. He had lied down in peace, and only the visitor, sent from heaven to release him, could awaken him from his peaceful rest. There was still work for him to do! So he walked out of that prison cell to fulfill his assignment for the Master!
In his old age, biblical history informs us, that Peter was once gain arrested. He had finished his course. His work was now ended. He was led away to meet death in the same manner of his Savior. It is said, that he requested to be crucified head down. He did not feel that he was worthy to be crucified in the same position as his Master,
I am sure that when he was laid to rest this time, he also rested in peace; for You God, only, make us both lie down, and rest in peace, in life and in death! Thank You Lord Jesus!